Stay With Me
by themadisonwinner
Summary: Klaus Mikaelson, a snobby and enigmatic music professor, suddenly becomes taken by a freshman in his voice seminar. Caroline Forbes, a head-strong and talented young woman is immediately intimidated by her sexy professor. Can they keep away from each other, or will Klaus' reputation and career be put in jeopardy all because of an inconsequential student? Rated M for later chapters.
1. Chapter 1

Caroline had to admit it—she was nervous. And it wasn't a good nervous, not the motivating kind. It was bad, really bad. She was a collected, strong, and independent young woman. But the thing was, it was her first day of college, and the nerves were setting it. Her roommate Rebekah was already out the door and starting an early morning class without so much as a goodbye or a well-wishing. Caroline's first didn't start for another hour. She was the master of control, and yet there she stood in front of the mirror, obsessively trying to create the perfect messy bun look. She tried to pull strands out, but then it became too much of a hassle to manage.

She let her unruly blonde curls down and figured with a little bit of hairspray, she could master the sexy just-rolled-out-of-bed appearance. Grabbing a granola bar from their shared desk, she quickly shoved her necessities into her large brown purse and stormed out of the dorm. It was now or never for her. She had to face the fact that high school was over and her adult life had officially begun the second she received her diploma three months ago.

College was a whole new world, and she wasn't sure how it was going to go. She left high school with a rep—she had been a golden child; daughter of the sheriff and captain of the cheerleading squad. But none of that mattered now. She was walking down the hallway of her new temporary home, meeting face after unfamiliar face. She was 4 hours away from her tiny hometown. Her new roommate was going to be a challenge to live with, but the thought oddly comforted her. Making new friends was always Caroline's strong suit.

Upon reaching the quad, Caroline sat on a bench near the fountain that represented the very center of campus. There were few people about at this early hour, which she found relaxing. The early morning air of September was enough to send a slight chill down her spine, but she didn't mind. It cleared her head.

A young, attractive man sat on the opposite end of the bench. She appraised him. He was decent, but not her type. His auburn hair was quaffed in such a way that made him appear… unavailable. Not that Caroline was a bigot; she had a soft spot in her heart reserved for gay men after her dad came out of the closet 4 years earlier. And her other best friend from high school, Lexi, was a lesbian who pursued beauty school after graduation. Caroline smiled. She'd have to call Lexi later tonight to tell her all about her first day.

The young man next to Caroline looked preoccupied with his phone and a piece of paper she assumed was a campus map. After a few more lost, doe-eyed looks about his surroundings, he looked over at Caroline and huffed, smiling.

"Excuse me, but you wouldn't happen to know where the Medical College building is, would you?" he asked politely, but frantically.

"Actually, I don't, but my roommate's major is pediatrics. Lemme text her. Are you in a rush?" she replied, pulling out her phone.

"Not exactly, but I like to be places early. It's a bad habit. My class doesn't even start for another 45 minutes." He admitted.

Caroline laughed. "Same, actually!" She shot Rebekah a quick text regarding the location of the building she was in. "Are you a freshman?"

"Is it that obvious?" he chuckled, slightly embarrassed. Then he nodded.

She smiled. "I am too. What's your major?"

"Veterinary science."

"Wow, that's impressive. I love animals." Just then, Rebekah texted back. "My friend says to head north on the quad, turn left at the library, then walk for about five more minutes. Apparently, it's right behind the Business College," she interpreted.

"Oh my God, thanks so much!" he said enthusiastically. He began to march away happily, but suddenly turned. "What's your name?"

"Caroline," she answered warmly.

"Hi Caroline, I'm Stefan." He slung his backpack over his shoulder.

"Have a good first day, Stefan."

"You too!"

She watched him cross the quad, happily on his way. She stared into the fountain for a bit, then stood, straightened her sweater, then crossed the quad in the opposite direction that Stefan had gone. _One friend made so far today_, she thought. _That's good._

Klaus entered his lecture hall far earlier than was necessary. A cup of tea in hand, he slowly took in the room. It was only his third year teaching. He was young, they said. His elder colleagues and coworkers had been skeptical when the university hired him, but he soon proved himself to be one of the most talented instructors in the northeast. He slowly walked through the large room, walking through the seats, envisioning his new students. Who were they? What were they going to look like? Will their names be difficult to learn?

Klaus approached the piano centered at the very front of the lecture hall. Setting his tea down, he began to stroke the keys lightly. It was something he did since he was a child. Whenever something bothered him, he would practice, which was often. Klaus liked control from a very early age, and learning to play the piano was not only beneficial to his demeanor, but also to his mental health.

His first lecture didn't start for another half hour, so he decided that leaving to get breakfast would leave his new students a chance to collect themselves without him there to intimidate. He tried to the door, but it was lodged. Great, he thought. Not again. During a fire alarm last semester, he was stuck in his room because the doorknob wouldn't budge. He'd forgotten about this problem over the summer and would have to get a hold of maintenance. He climbed the stairs, hoping he was still able to make it to the small door which looked so out of place in the middle of the wall, out of reach. The small door was specifically a way to reach the music attic, no matter how inconvenient it was. There wasn't even room for a ladder to fit in between the back row of lecture seats and the wall.

Klaus balanced himself on the backs of two seats. He took off his suit jacket and threw it carefully on the seatback next to him. He then rolled up his cuffs and proceeded to lift himself to the tiny ledge.

This was not a sight Caroline expected to witness upon entering her first class. In college. Ever. Her professor, Mr. Mikaelson, was, rather easily, climbing the back wall in what appeared to be an attempt to get to a small set of doors. Caroline had seen doors like this before, and they always puzzled her. Generally it was an inconvenient access way to reach large attics. She assumed this building must have many. That was the reason she wanted to come to this school; their music program was incredible. They were funded by the state and given grants all the time because of their success, especially in recent years.

She admired him from behind—his toned back and arms were very evident in his plaid button up. His forearms were thick and strained in his seemingly acrobatic position. And his ass—Caroline looked away, suddenly embarrassed. And she hadn't even seen his face yet.

"Umm, Mr. Mik—"

"Shit!" he yelled, startled, his concentration shattered by a light voice. He jumped down, his efforts ruined. Glaring down at what he assumed was one of his new students, he realized that the door was wide open. How had she opened the door without him hearing? "I'm sorry, the door was jammed. This is the way I get out sometimes," he admitted.

"Oh. I'm sorry I scared you." She was immediately intimidated by the sexy English accent that flowed so effortlessly out of his mouth. She glanced between her schedule and him.

"It's alright. I'm quite on edge as it is."

"Me too," she sighed. "I'm Caroline Forbes. I'm in your FVS and your lessons. I think you're my advisor." He walked back down the levels and ended up back at the piano, taking a sip of tea. God, he was far too attractive to be teaching. This was so awkward. _Weren't professors supposed to be fifty plus? This guy couldn't be over thirty, _Caroline thought to herself. He looked like he'd stepped out of a magazine, with his plaid button up and dark blonde scruff. As he descended the lecture hall levels, she quickly took in as many details as she could. He wore dark, well-fitting jeans, cuffs rolled up. He had the same dark blonde hair lightly dusting his forearms, which she noticed rippled as he was still on the ledge. Caroline found herself blushing when she looked up from her schedule into his way-too-shiny eyes.

Klaus took note of her anxiety. It was endearing. He made a point to not admire students; it would form an attachment he didn't have time for. Also, he'd be fired. So there was that too. She had such beautiful eyes, that conversation seemed suddenly a challenge. He tried to decipher their intricate colouring—blue, but all different kinds. Aqua and sky blue, with a ring of grey. Her mouth was elegantly contrived, a pair of plump, soft pink lips that reminded him of cotton candy. She had a petite nose, pierced with a small stud. Her hair shone in the sunlight coming through the east windows, a golden frame surrounding her face. Her eyebrows were foiled concernedly over those blue pools he knew he'd get lost in if he kept staring. So he looked away.

"Very nice to meet you, Caroline. I hope you enjoy the next two semesters."

Caroline readjusted her bag and trudged up a couple levels, settling in a seat on the end of a row. He couldn't help but admire her backside for the few seconds she faced away from him. He tried so hard, truly, so hard to not sexualize woman, especially after Rebekah hit puberty. It was a defensive big brother thing. But this Caroline, this freshman, this girl who seemed far older than 18, suddenly had his thoughts racing. He observed her. She huffed at her phone, sending strands of hair into a frenzy around her face.

Klaus turned on his heel and left the room, unsure of why he felt so damn uncomfortable.

Caroline had probably had the absolute longest, most strenuous day in the history of ever. Or so she kept reminding herself. That, and that it could only get better from here. So far, college wasn't the fun, new adventure she had been hoping for. It was a place for getting your ass kicked by people that were better than you. Repeatedly.

She hadn't mentally prepared for most of the humiliation she faced today. First off, her voice cracked in Mr. Mikaelson's FVS. It was completely mortifying. Of course, he laughed it off and said it was natural. _All part of the process_, he reminded her in that damn sexy voice. She knew that. But that fact that it was Mr. Mikaelson was the stupidly unnerving part. He was too hot to be giving her consoling advice. Then, after the horrifying range builder exercises, when they were all let back into their seats, she found herself staring, and _really staring_, at Mr. Mikaelson's ass. And she conspicuously kept eyeing it as he turned around to ask her a question. Which she didn't answer until the brunette next to her nudged her out of her explicit teacher/student fantasy playing out over and over in her head. Double whammy embarrassment. But the worst part, by far the most horrifying thing she did in Mr. Mikaelson's presence, was _drop her things_. Not just a handout, but her entire purse dumped out as the lecture dismissed.

Most of the students had left, thankfully, but Klaus was there to save this adorably flustered damsel in distress.

"I'm sorry I'm being such a damsel in distress," she'd mumbled, cheeks burning.

For a moment, he had been so afraid that he'd spoken his thoughts aloud. But he chuckled, blowing it off, hoping to lighten her mood. "You seem like the kind of woman who needs to be in control, and I can tell that this day has made you feel more out of control than you have probably felt your entire life," he'd remarked haughtily as he gathered up some Tic-Tacs, a tube of mascara, and about 5 assorted pens. His hands hovered over a translucent pink bag full of tampons, but pretended to not notice, as to not further humiliate her.

Of course he'd meant this as professor to student small talk, hoping to connect with her in hopes that she wouldn't drop the class after being mortified time and time again. But Caroline didn't care. She did what Caroline did best, and that was get angry. She didn't mean to direct her anger at her new professor, the professor she found herself wanting to impress the most, but it was a Caroline-ism to cover up her anger towards herself by shoving it at someone else. And that she did.

"Well, I'm sorry that I've messed up so much today already. I'll just go drop your class right now," she panted, scrambling to gather up as much embarrassing cargo as she could. Once upright, she stormed out of the lecture hall with all the dignity she could muster, and disappeared.

Klaus ran his hand through his dirty blonde curls and smiled. She was a firecracker. A firecracker he prayed wouldn't drop his class.

In other words, the day had been a disaster, all because of a few trivial occurrences in her first class of college. Ever. The rest of the day had gone rather well, mostly because she found herself on the opposite side of the music school building, as far from Mr. Mikaelson as she could be. It began to rain soon after she left her last class, and she was able to make it back to her dorm before it really began pouring. Upon entering her dorm, however, she wanted to head right back out into the storm.

Rebekah was back.

The blonde hurricane herself. Impeccably dressed in black skinny jeans, a loose t-shirt, and brown booties, she looked like a model. And Caroline stumbled in, looking like a lost drowned rat.

She was on the phone.

"I don't care, Nik, it's my first day of college." She breathed the most irritated breath Caroline could imagine possible. "It's your first day, too, you know. How much could you really have to do?!"

Caroline deducted this was Rebekah's boyfriend. Although it would take quite a man to handle her. She silently applauded Nik, whoever he was. She had to admit, the English accent was probably a turn on for him. Lord knows, Caroline about melted earlier today with another certain Brit.

"No, no, no! I want to go out tonight. To celebrate! Come on, it's only 6 o'clock!" She paused. "You're such an old man, you know that Nik? An old man. You never want to do stuff with me anymore," she whined. Caroline stifled a giggle. _Oh yes_, she thought. _Quite the man_.

"You know, I'm quite sick of receiving texts about this student in your FVS," she grumbled. "We could discuss her over dinner, since you seem so damn infatuated!"

Caroline looked up due to the recognition of the subject. Was Rebekah yelling at her boyfriend because he was looking at other girls and telling her about it? Caroline suddenly felt very awkward. She slowly got up to leave, but Rebekah snapped her fingers. "You. Stay. Sit." For whatever reason, Caroline did as she was told and sat back down on her comforter.

"Great. I will see you at Leon's in 45 minutes. Oh, and I'm bringing my roommate. She looks like she needs to get out more," Rebekah finished bluntly. There were a few things swirling around in Caroline's head. One, how rude. Two, Rebekah was obviously the type of girl who could say what she wanted to anyone and not have many repercussions. Three, why was she bringing her to dinner with her boyfriend? Caroline blinked.

Rebekah tossed her phone on her bed and stood directly in front of Caroline. "You're coming to dinner with me tonight." It wasn't a question.

"Sure, Rebekah," Caroline sighed. At least she'd be getting fun time with her temporary living partner.

"I wasn't asking," she snapped, like it was obvious. Even though Rebekah came off this blunt most of the time, something seemed to be bothering her. Caroline decided to test the waters.

"Are you alright, Rebekah? You seem a bit… high strung." She hoped this wouldn't end up in a headlock.

Rebekah's gaze snapped right back up to Caroline's but immediately softened. "Noooooo," she sighed, falling back onto her bed with a _thud_.

Caroline wasn't sure how to proceed. "Do you… wanna talk about it?" Yes, this was good. Normal roomie bonding moment.

"Not really."

Oh. "Oh." Okay then. "Okay then."

"You see, there's the guy. I met him today," Rebekah suddenly continued. Caroline once again had to suppress a laugh. Apparently, the accent became stronger when she whined. "And he's so _cute_. You wouldn't understand. So. Damn. Cute. And sweet. I dropped my pencil in the hallway, and you know what he did? He picked it up for me. That's the sweetest thing ever, right?"

_Not really_, Caroline decided. Common courtesy was more like it. But Rebekah was opening up for the first time since they'd moved in the previous week. She wasn't about to disrupt any bonding time they had.

"Anyways," she said, clearly annoyed by Caroline's disinterest. "You're coming to dinner tonight with me," reminding her as if Caroline had already forgotten. "So get ready."

This was the least fun thing Caroline could imagine doing.

Rebekah huffed, and Caroline grimaced. "My brother wants me to get the whole bloody college experience, so to make him believe that I'm perfectly fine with living in this whole, I've decided to bring you along. That's why," she said, as if answering Caroline's unspoken questions.

Firstly, the brother thing threw Caroline for a loop. Secondly, the fact that Rebekah assumed she would go along with everything she said, well, it pissed her off.

"_You've_ decided?" She crossed her arms.

Rebekah raised a perfectly groomed eyebrow. "Yes. _Now get ready_. I don't want you to meet Nik looking like _that_."

Caroline glanced down at herself. The drowned rat look hadn't gone unnoticed. She sighed. There was no way that she was going to risk a civil war with her roommate, either. _Better get ready. _


	2. Chapter 2

Caroline was just hoping that Nik was a model or a sex god, because she needed a distraction from Rebekah's attitude. After trying on not one, not two, but _three _dresses, Rebekah had finally "approved" of her outfit. It was a simple maroon dress with a floral print and a Peter Pan collar. Nothing fancy. She was even wearing flats, and Rebekah was wearing five inch heels. She hoped this wouldn't become a pattern.

Caroline thought she was tall, being a 5'9", size 10 woman. But Rebekah far surpassed six feet in those heels. Her legs were the length of skyscrapers. Caroline found herself making eye contact with Rebekah's chest, and that wasn't something she wanted to be staring at all night.

Dinner was at 7 o'clock, and while Rebekah seemed like the person who enjoyed being fashionably late, Caroline needed to be places early. Always. After pestering Rebekah for nearly five minutes, her roommate finally caved and the two left twenty minutes before seven. Caroline felt contented at the thought she'd finally bossed Rebekah around about something.

Upon arriving at the restaurant, she realized that it was extremely ritzy. She mentally calculated her checking account balance, figuring if she stuck to water and a nice salad, she would be able to afford it. It was quaint, cozy, lit mostly with tea candles. Rebekah approached the maître d' and gave the woman her last name. It sounded like Michaels, but Caroline wasn't sure. That was the thing—she really didn't know anything about her roommate other than her first name and her general attitude about life.

The woman escorted them to a table at the corner of the restaurant, nestled in a throng of other small tables obviously meant for couples. Caroline took an inconspicuous deep breath and tried small talk. Small talk was not a Caroline-ism. Rambling, however…

"So how was your first day? You mentioned meeting a cute guy? What's he like? Did you get a chance to actually talk? On the first day of my junior year of high school I actually met my boyfriend, Tyler. But he was a dick. We broke up last year because he wasn't going to college anywhere near here. Anyways, who is your brother? Is he a music student? Not that I was eavesdropping or anything when I came in. What's his name? Oh, that's right. It's Nik. What's he like? Does he like—" She was silenced by a manicured hand.

"How about you just ask him yourself?"

"What?"

"He's right over there," Rebekah replied, as if it was obvious. She pointed.

Caroline looked. And she froze. Because staring directly at her with the same confused look she probably had plastered on her face… was her professor. Mr. Mikaelson.

So it wasn't Michaels. It was Mikaelson. Nik—or, Mr. Mikaelson—approached the table with a mixed look of amusement and mock concern. Caroline wanted to smack her head against the wall. Not only was this the man she'd repeatedly embarrassed herself in front of today to the point of wanting to drop the class, but he was also the incredibly _sexy_ man she'd repeatedly embarrassed herself in front of. How hadn't she put the two together? It wouldn't have been difficult. Two blonde, British young adults with a snobby _everything_.

"Good evening, Bekah," he said in the smoothest, sexiest voice Caroline had ever heard.

"Oh, Nik. So much to tell you. But first, let me introduce you to my roommate—"

"Caroline," he said calmly, with a small smile. "Yes, we've met."

Caroline didn't understand why she was blushing so outrageously.

Rebekah looked frustrated. Did everything have to be her moment? "Wait, how?"

Without taking his eyes off Caroline, he interrupted Rebekah. "She's in my Freshman Voice Seminar. And I'm also her private teacher. But that's only on Fridays," he said calmly.

"So you're telling me that this is the gi—"

He shot her a look.

Had Rebekah screeched something into the phone earlier about him talking endlessly about a particular student? If it was her, it was probably because she'd been nothing but a headache to him.

"Actually, earlier Caroline mentioned dropping my class," he sighed dramatically, with feigned hurt.

Rebekah just stared at Caroline. "You do know that my brother is the most successful music professor in the—"

"I didn't mean to offend him, honestly," Caroline stated, finally finding her voice. These Mikaelson's really knew how to mow her over. "I was a pill all day for him and I honestly believe that we got off on the wrong foot."

"Quite the contrary, Caroline," he said. He still hadn't stopped looking at her. She squirmed under his gaze. "I quite enjoyed your discomfort."

This struck a nerve. "Does rudeness run in the family? Or is that just your form of endearment?" she flatlined.

Two pairs of way-too-blue eyes shot her looks. Rebekah glared, obviously offended. But Klaus had begun to laugh. Upon hearing him loosen up, his sister relaxed in her seat, crossing her arms with a smirk.

Once again, Caroline had put her foot in her mouth. She had to drop Mr. Mikaelson's class now. There was no way she could continue after what she'd just said.

Klaus, finally collecting himself, replied in the most adorable—wait, adorable?—way possible. "Oh believe me, sweetheart, it's a Mikaelson thing."

Did her just call her _sweetheart_? She flushed. "Are there any more of you? Rebekah has successfully kept her entire life from me. I didn't even know your last name," she suddenly accused.

"Is this an issue now?" Rebekah shot back. "I knew this would happen, Nik! Everyone is going to treat me differently because my brother is a professor. I'm not going to be able to do _anything_!" she whined.

Klaus ripped his eyes from Caroline's to jokingly console his baby sister only to return his gaze to Caroline. He was pleased she was already looking at him. He had to turn this evening around. He didn't want two stubborn women angry.

"So Caroline."

"Yes, Mr. Mikaelson?"

"Oh, please. Call me Klaus. I hate being called Mr. Mikaelson."

"Alright, Klaus."

"What got you involved in music? Why do you want to pursue it?"

She internally sighed. This interrogation had to come sooner or later. "Music is the one thing I've always been sure about. I've been taking voice lessons since the fourth grade. It provides me an escape. It makes me feel in control of myself," she admitted, smiling.

Klaus noticed a change in her expression. She softened, she comforted herself. There was a slight smile on her beautifully pink lips. He'd been daydreaming about them all day. "Why is that, Caroline?" he asked softly.

Rebekah was about to blow up with the lack of attention directed towards her. Why was her brother obsessing over this freshman?

"Well, as you obviously know, the voice is an instrument, and it all depends on how well you take care of it. The fact that my voice is affected by everything I do to my body gives me an extra initiative to really do my best in everything. I love having control over what I do. It's a certain kind of independence."

It was the first time Caroline put into words her passion. Music had been everything to her for the longest time. Sure, she was a cheerleader, but only because it was the only sport that appealed to her. She wanted to stay moderately active. After her dad left, music became her one and only escape. She doubled her private lessons from once a week to twice a week. She kept all of her friends, but only a couple could handle her enough anymore. Enter Lexi, Bonnie, and Elena. The four of them had been close since elementary school, and she couldn't imagine her life without them.

Bonnie and Elena had gone to study at Whitmore College, which was only an hour away. Caroline knew that this weekend she would be making the commute. Her first day in college and she already can't believe the mess she's gotten herself into.

Klaus was absolutely enamored by this Caroline Forbes. She was intelligent and feisty. Klaus didn't want to admit it, but the first time he saw her that morning, he was taken by her appearance and spent the rest of the day trying to export dirty fantasies from his mind. But now that he'd gotten to know her a little bit more… she was all together the complete package. She was so sexy. He was dying to learn more and more. He couldn't believe that.

"Well, you certainly answered that question."

Rebekah glared at her brother.

"Frowning causes wrinkles, Rebekah. Would you like to do facials this weekend and reverse the aging you've probably caused yourself tonight?" Caroline asked sweetly.

Rebekah couldn't believe her ears. Did her mousey roommate just diss her? "If you'll excuse me, I think I'll just go freshen up." She stood harshly without so much as a glance in either Klaus or Caroline's direction, and stormed off towards the restrooms.

"You've really pissed her off, but I respect that. It takes guts to say stuff like that to my sister," Klaus noted.

"I didn't mean to offend either of you, I promise. But I wasn't just going to sit here without opening my mouth. I know I should close it sometimes," she said quietly.

_I can think of some other uses for that pretty mouth,_ Klaus thought. This _had_ to stop. She was his student! She appeared to have no idea the effect she had on him.

"You shouldn't censor yourself, sweetheart. Intelligence is sexy."

Caroline blushed deeply. Was this what college truly was? People consistently showing no restraint in their feelings?

"I don't have any idea why you'd say that," she blurted.

Klaus laughed. "Please don't take that the wrong way. You remember that I have a little sister. Although, if you find my comments uncomforting, please tell me. Would you?" he said sweetly.

He was too flirtatious, and Caroline found herself falling for it. "I don't find it uncomfortable, but you need to remember that I am your student now."

"Not if you drop my class."

This chapter is short and a bit boring, I know, I know. Klaroline will definitely be happening soon but there's a whole bunch of plot builders I love adding. ;)


	3. Chapter 3

"Thank God the dinner was over. Klaus, Mr. Mikaelson, Nik, whatever, wasn't phased by Caroline's repeated fuck-ups. The rest of the dinner was uneventful, except for the fact that Caroline and Klaus kept making weird eye contact at inopportune times. Klaus kept most of the conversation going, asking Caroline about her life, but nothing too in depth. He was keeping his distance, and Caroline was relieved by that.

After a way-too-flirtatious, way-too-British goodbye that involved him kissing her hand, her and Rebekah left the restaurant. Rebekah couldn't be bothered, but seemed to be over her irritation. Klaus ended up getting the bill, which the girls thanked him for profusely. Caroline needed to spill to Bonnie or Elena or someone! She guessed that the sister of Mr. Sexy Pants wasn't her best bet. Her hand still tingled from where his lips had touched her, where his stubble had scraped gently. She absently stroked the spot.

"Night, night Bekah," he'd said while hugging her. "Good night, Caroline," he'd said, softer than to his sister. If Caroline didn't know any better, his voice was almost sultrier.

Rebekah had the music on very loudly in the car, and Caroline immediately deduced that her taste widely varied from her brothers. Caroline had done her research before the semester began—evidently not enough because she never remembered seeing a picture of him—and learned that Klaus had received his Masters in Music History and Vocal Pedagogy. He had studied in his homeland of England, then travelled across the rest of Europe to study the great composers, but, according to the bio, hadn't found his passion until he landed in New Orleans, the birthplace of jazz. It made sense. Klaus was the sexiest man alive and jazz was the sexiest music in history. Caroline rolled her eyes and leaned into the seat of Rebekah's impeccably clean Mercedes.

The odd couple made it back to their suite without speaking. Rebekah sat on her bed and began furiously perfecting her already perfect pedicure, while Caroline decided to hit the lounge. All she really wanted was to stay in bed and try to forget her embarrassing moments of the day, but she needed to keep her head above water. She took her laptop out of her bag and left quietly.

Upon reaching the lounge, a well-lit room with windows and mismatched couches, Caroline spotted a familiar face. Stefan. Her first friend. Oh thank Jesus.

"Hey Caroline!" he said enthusiastically while patting the spot next to him. She plopped down with a smile.

"Ok listen, we gotta talk. I need to spill. But first, how was your first day?" She asked, finally free of the doom and gloom (and sexual tension) of the day. With Lexi hours away, she needed to abruptness and humor of a gay friend to keep her company. Not that Caroline was jealous, but everyone knows that gay people are kind of the life of the party. Caroline needed that energy. She was always the life of the party herself.

"It was actually pretty good. All syllabus stuff so I didn't need to bring all my stuff with me, but as far as first day's go, mine was alright."

"That's cool," she said with genuine interest. Stefan was the only person she'd spoken to today that didn't make her angry and flustered. "I take it you found the right building," she teased.

"Yeah," he laughed. She took note of how nice of a smile he had. He was a very good looking man. How was he only her age? "Actually there was this really gorgeous girl in my anatomy lab. I couldn't take my eyes off her." Wait, girl? Interesting.

"Ooh, intrigue!" Caroline said, her eyebrows wagging. "What's she like?"

"I don't really know. From what I could tell she's really uppity, but, like, not in a bad way. You know what I mean? Confident." Caroline nodded in agreement. "She has this accent too. I think she's English. Her name was Rebekah.

Caroline froze momentarily, and put the pieces together. "Wait, you didn't happen to pick up a pencil for her, did you?"

"I did actually. Wait, how did you know?" he replied, puzzled.

She giggled. "When I came home today, my roommate _Rebekah_ was gushing about a cute boy who picked up her pencil for her. I guess that's you." Stefan's eyes widened.

"Rebekah is your roommate?" he asked, suddenly very excited.

"Yeah, Rebekah Mikaelson. And you're right, _very_ uppity," she smiled.

"What's she like? I think I'd like to ask her out sometime," he said enthusiastically. Oh… Caroline felt bad for assuming he was gay. Clearly her time with assholes had made her believe that only gay guys were kind. Hmm, and then there was Klaus…_ Oops_. Caroline caught herself. _Don't think about your professor like that._

"I don't know her very well," she admitted. "She's kind of an enigma to me. She rivals me in perfectionism, which is shocking. We might have the cleanest room at this university, so there's that. And yeah, she's English," Caroline said, forming the beginnings of a list. "Her older brother is actually one of my professors. He's really talented. Also blonde, same sexy accent, really nice forearms," she mused.

"Uhh, Caroline?" he asked jokingly. "Looks like someone has a crush on their professor."

She slugged him in the arm and tried to laugh it off. "Rebekah can't know! God that would be so weird."

"Everyone likes a teacher at some point, am I right?"

"This is my first time. I hope I don't get distracted."

"I don't think so. In fact, I think it'll make you extra motivated to do well in his class," he suggested. "Besides, maybe you'll become his teachers pet," he joked. Caroline laughed and put her face in her hands.

"Ugh, he's gorgeous. Rebekah is too, for that matter," she offered, trying to steer the conversation back to him. Obviously her spill-session has turned into one big Mikaelson-palooza.

"Yeah, she is," he said kindly.

Caroline noticed his change in expression. She hoped maybe they could become friends or date or something. She would see more of Stefan, and maybe Rebekah would soften up a bit. The idea made her smile. "Hey, you could walk me back to my room tonight and see her! Strike up a conversation, woo her, make her love you, and get married all in one day!" she baited.

Caroline turned the key in the lock at her suite door. Stefan watched nervously and she rolled her eyes. "She's not an evil monster, you of all people should know that," she breathed as the door popped open.

"I know, I know," he mouthed back with mock annoyance.

Caroline stepped halfway inside. The main lights were all off, and their communal Christmas lights were on. Like this, it seemed like a cozy apartment and not a dorm suite.

Rebekah was in bed on her stomach, feet crossed in the air, and headphones in plugged into her laptop. She looked up at the door opening, and scurried quickly to her knees when she saw Stefan. Caroline smiled. "Hey Rebekah, this is my friend Stefan, " she gestured, knowing full well they'd already met.

"Oh hey Rebekah," Stefan said a bit too stiffly. Caroline jabbed him with her elbow without taking her eyes off Rebekah.

"Hi, er, um..."

"Stefan," he said quickly.

"Right. Anatomy lab."

After the three had said their awkward goodbyes and Stefan left for his room, (conveniently at the end of the hall) the girls both turned in. It was just nearly 10:30 pm, and Caroline needed to be up at 6.

"Hey, Rebekah?" Caroline asked from across the room after a few moments of comfortable silence.

"Yes?"

"Thanks for taking me to dinner tonight. I really appreciated it."

Rebekah paused, unsure if at this moment she should keep up her snarky attitude. "Of course, Caroline. I had a nice night."

Caroline turned over and faced Rebekah's bed. "You know," she said provocatively. "Stefan seems to like you."

Rebekah followed suit and also turned over. She looked at Caroline eagerly. "You really think so?"

"I know so."

Rebekah smiled gently in the low Christmas light-lit room, and for the first time she noticed how similar her and Klaus looked. The resemblance was striking. Rebekah let out a sweet sigh.

The girls both turned back over and settled back into the silence. The atmosphere suddenly became very sleepy and warm. Rebekah yawned. "Klaus seems quite taken with you, too."

Caroline pretended to be asleep, while in actuality stayed awake for what seemed like forever trying to decipher what she'd meant by that.


	4. Chapter 4

Tomorrow was Caroline's first private lesson with Klaus. After a second Music Theory class with him, it was gospel that he was to be called Klaus, not Professor or, god forbid, _Dr. Mikaelson_. While this normally would make Caroline roll her eyes, Klaus was the kind of professor that could get away with such informalities, unlike 40+ professors who wanted to seem more down-to-earth. Caroline was also more aware of her gawking, considering the first class she had with him was less than desirable. Stefan had made a few appearances at Caroline's dorm ever since he found out Rebekah lived there as well, although it was incentive enough that Caroline, his only new friend, also resided there.

Caroline was seated on her bed, reading her theory textbook, when the door popped open to reveal a giggling- wait, giggling?- Rebekah and grinning Stefan. Rebekah sent a smile in her direction and Stefan nodded. "Hey Care!"

"Hey guys. What have you been up to?"

Rebekah giggled again. This was starting to throw Caroline off. Where was Bitchy McOrganized&amp;Immaculate? "We ran into each other at the library trying to find the same pre-med textbook."

Stefan's eyes held amusement as he watched her. "Yeah, only to discover this book was the most outdated thing this university has seen since they hired our pre-med professor, and there was only one copy left."

Caroline smiled. "Well, that's what you get when you are stuffy medical students," she teased, holding up her textbook. "If you want some real excitement, come learn about parallel fifths and the Overtone Series." She smiled haphazardly.

They both looked at her with confusion, but it was lighthearted.

"Yeah, didn't think so," she laughed.

The pair plopped down on Rebekah's bed playfully, and Caroline went back to studying.

xxxxxx

"Come right on in, Caroline!" Klaus called from behind his closed office door.

Caroline had arrived 20 minutes early to the music building, found a practice room to warm up in, and sat in front of his office nervously, watching her phone count down until it was exactly 10am. Then she had knocked.

"Good morning, Klaus," she said lightly, hiding her nerves and closing the door behind her. Quickly, she scanned the room. There was a beautiful old Steinway in one corner, sturdy and intimidating without one speck of dust in the mid-morning light. The windows were old-fashioned, matching the building, but must have had new glass as they too were also spotless and clear. They were open, and the breeze of early September twirled the opaque white curtains gently and silently. Other than this, the room was pretty messy. There was multiple boxes scattered about the room, filled and covered with scores after scores. Handel, Mozart, Bach, Dvorak, and Verdi caught her attention. She noticed the fruitless attempt at alphabetizing by composer forming on the shelves. Beside the shelves stood a turntable, and with a record resting beneath the arm. One glance and she new- it was Sgt. Peppers. The bottom rows of every shelf were packed tightly with vinyl, some covers frayed, some new, and realized suddenly that his records were probably more of a priority and a treasure to him than his music books, as they were already immaculately organized. There had to be at least 500 records. A Macbook sat open on the piano and she recognized the familiar screen of iTunes. An upright bass leaned in a corner next to a small rhythm section. There were really no decorations, except a framed, and what appeared to be signed, vinyl copy of Nina Simone's "The High Priestess of Soul." There was a small picture of Rebekah and some men who resembled the both of them that she assumed were brothers or something.

Everything about his office screamed intelligence, from the incredible taste in music, to the mess of books, to the aesthetic of the vinyl he obviously used and cared about, unlike so many others in this day and age. She smiled appreciatively and thanked her lucky stars she had him as her professor. For voice. _Nothing funny_, she reminded herself. Just her voice professor who obviously adored music and knew his stuff and had dimples and cute blonde curls and...

"How are you this morning? Ready for your first week of college to be over?" Klaus suddenly asked, pulling Caroline from her wandering thoughts. He smiled at her genuinely, and sat at the piano.

She nodded. "Yeah. It's sure been a roller coaster, but I'm really glad I'm here." _And that you're my teacher_. CAROLINE CHILL, she scolded inwardly. In the head-clearing morning light, she decided to continue. "And I'd also like to apologize for dinner that night. I was totally off and acting like a lunatic." _Because of your DIMPLES_.

His smiled faltered with genuine thought. "That's quite alright, Caroline. Rebekah was engaging in equal lunacy. College will do that to you," he added with a wink. "Well, shall we? Let me hear more of this wonderful voice of yours!"

She blushed. "I'm ready."

Vocalists learn quick that being bashful gets them nowhere. Staying humble, but acting with confidence and purpose, gets you far in life, something that applied to Caroline's in every aspect of hers. That being said, Caroline was, for the first time since meeting Klaus, completely and totally in control of her actions. She felt power when she sang; she let herself go, she let herself BE herself, while simultaneously driving herself to be better. She opened her mouth, and her entire personality came pouring out. She eyed Klaus as he led her through some routine warm-ups. While she'd already done so, this was common practice. He wanted to hear how high she could go comfortably, her range, and her voice type. These were all things that would develop, grow, and be discovered over the course of the next four years of her undergraduate education. Hopefully under the adjudication of Klaus, she found herself wishing. He was obviously talented, not to mention young, and the world was his oyster. Other universities would probably want him, and it would be up to him to stay here, or to move on to bigger things.

His fingers moved over the keys, changing keys effortlessly while glancing at Caroline, to the wall in thought, out the window, and then back to the piano. When she reached a high B flat, he started bringing her back down.

"Well, you certainly know how to reach your head voice without faltering," he complimented. "You really have a wonderful soprano voice, love. I'm excited to teach you. This voice will grow so much. I can just see it. I mean-" he started gracefully trilling a high E, then F, then F sharp with a shrug.

Caroline smiled. "I'm excited for it too," she replied simply.

He grinned up at her. "Well, let's figure out your music for the semester then, shall we?" He gestured toward his desk, and stood to offer her a seat across from him. He grabbed his laptop and started perusing. He pulled a pair of glasses out from his shirt pocket, but due to the fact he'd never worn them before and didn't need them to see the whiteboard or his students during lectures, she deduced they were just readers for his laptop. Between the glasses, the way his forearms looked when he was playing at the piano, and his fingers themselves, Caroline found herself fantasizing again, biting her lip.

And once again, it took a couple of tries from Klaus to snap her out of her haze.

"Caroline?" he asked. "Caroline?" He looked up at her through those adorable glasses. "Miss Forbes," he said a little louder. She focused finally.

"Sorry, I was just thinking about some of the roles I could play with an F under my belt." _Nice save, Forbes_, she thought.

He chuckled. "Alright, love-" _ugh, again with the love? Jeez._ "Let's give you a couple arias, an art song, and some sacred text. That will put you at five pieces for your juries. How does that sound?"

She was impressed with his selections, and sent him her approval with a nod. "That sounds great." Her thoughts lingered on the "Habanera," the piece from Carmen about a beautiful seductress, singing to her many admirers. Was that pick intentional? A piece about sex? _No Caroline. Don't even go there._

"Oh, before I forget, I see you haven't signed up for a time to audition for University Chorus. That's the premiere choral ensemble at this university, audition only. I will consider this lesson as your audition and email the conductor of the choir."

Oh. "That's awfully kind, Klaus, I just don't have time for that particular class. It's five days a week."

"Yes, but you're incredibly talented. You need to be in that choir. No buts."

She frowned. "I'm not sure if I could fully give myself to that ensemble, Klaus. Besides, I didn't even audition with the conductor."

He blew her off, already drafting what she assumed was the email. "Nonsense," he said, in that sexy stereotypical British way. "The conductor is my brother, Elijah, or Dr. Mikaelson. Another reason why I don't want to be referred to by that name here."

She realized there would be no arguing with him on this topic. She sighed. "Alright, but that means I probably can't take your theory class then. I'll have to switch over to Professor Saltzman's theory."

"I'll miss having you in my class, but if it means you're in this choir, I'm happy to make the sacrifice." He smiled at her, and she melted. "Looks like you got your way anyhow, love. You're dropping my class," he added with mock hurt.

"Hey!" she laughed. "That was only because I overreacted about our first meeting. I thought you'd thought I was a disaster of a student, and I wanted to make a good impression." Her eyes fell into her lap, where her phone sat after recording their lesson (a standard procedure, so the student can really reference their teacher's advice when practicing.) "Oh, God! Oops, it's already 10:40!" She hurriedly stood and collected her things. "I'm sorry to stay over time."

"It's alright, you're my only lesson today," he said nonchalantly.

She headed for the door, and he followed, returning his glasses into his pocket. "For the record, love, you made an outstanding impression."

She whipped around, suddenly realizing their proximity. They both made a conscious effort to separate by a step each. He smiled at her wide-eyed expression. "Oh, um." She shrugged her bag over her shoulder. "I'm glad. See you Monday, Mr. Mikaelson. Or, er, Klaus." And with that, she turned on her heel and left the third floor, and building, as quickly as possible.

xxxxxx

"Caroline, we're_ going_ to this party!" Rebekah whined, adding a layer of mascara. "Come on, it's on Greek row and Stefan said he could get us in. This will be so much fun!"

Caroline sat on her bed, already resigned on her mandatory attendance and deciding on whether to stay in her skinny jeans and black tank top, or to change into a dress for the party. Figuring they would be walking home late late, she decided on her current outfit, adding a jacket, and joined Rebekah in the ensuite bathroom. The two girls both added to their makeup, and touched up their perfume, lightly joking and expressing excitement about their first college party. By the time they exited, they found Stefan waiting.

"Well don't you both look lovely," he said sweetly, nothing but genuine friendship in his eyes. The girls both laughed, Caroline adding a snide joke to let them make him up for a party one of these days. She didn't miss the way Rebekah and Stefan's hands kept gravitating towards each other, but never fulling going for it. She smiled. Her relationship with Rebekah was getting better and better with each passing day, but something she'd said still sat nestled in the back of her brain. _"Klaus seems quite taken with you, too."_

xxxxxx

By the time they had reached the fraternity, the trio was a bit chilly, but warmed from within from the walk and the laughter that never seemed to stop. "Hey Stef," Caroline began, "how exactly are you getting us into this party?"

And with that, a loud voice boomed on the front porch, already spilling over with people with beers in hand.

"BROTHER!"

Stefan pointed, arm around Rebekah's shoulders, towards the source of the voice. "As it happens," he mock cringes, "the president of this house is my big brother."

Rebekah and Caroline both focused on a handsome, dark haired young man weaving through people, a bottle of Jack in his hand. He held himself high, and boasted a cocky smirk. As he approached, Stefan began to introduce them all. "Damon, this is Caroline," he gestured. "And this is Rebekah." She smiled. "We live in the same hall." He didn't have to mention that the three of them had become fast friends, as that was evident in their happy mannerisms.

Damon saw the protective but innocent way his younger brother was wrapped around Rebekah, and turned his attention to Caroline.

"Hey, I'm Caroline," she said sweetly, extending her hand formally.

Damon's smirk grew at the gesture. "Damon. Pleased to meet ya, gorgeous," he said, wiggling his eyebrows.

Stefan rolled his eyes. "God, Damon, really?" he jested.

Caroline giggled, pleased from the attention this tall dark hottie was giving her. She sensed no danger, especially knowing that he was Stefan's older brother, and was pleased to have her mind drift from a very off-limits man who had been permeating her thoughts all week.

Damon elbowed Stefan. "Let's get you all a drink!" he roared, getting a few whoops from other frat guys wandering around the lawn. The sun had already set, dusk settling in, enhancing the chill in the air, but it was still light. The group passed through the people outside, who were either taking a smoke break or getting a breather from the party inside. The music grew progressively louder, until it was at a pretty loud, but comfortable.

"Name this artist, Mozart!" yelled Stefan playfully. He'd detached himself from Rebekah when the three of them were handed drinks from Damon, and Caroline noticed the slight disappointment on Rebekah's face.

"Ha, yeah right Stef! EDM, not really my thing," she said, bringing the red cup to her lips. The small group chatted for a few minutes, until Rebekah pulled Stefan gently and asked him to dance. He was clearly ecstatic, and joined the throng of people who were dancing in the middle of the large foyer of the house.

"So, Blondie. What brings you to this wonderful campus?" Damon asked flirtatiously. She giggled up at him and touched his arm. The concoction couldn't have made her drunk yet, so she attributed her over-friendly reaction to the adrenaline and excitement of the party.

"The music program," she replied.

"The what?" he asked, leaning in and pretending not to hear.

"The music program!" she laughed, leaning in to his flirtations. "It's incredible here."

Damon looked surprised. "Wow, I didn't peg you as a music nerd. You seem like the business school type. Very organized and goal-driven. I'm sure you like to be on top of things. I mean... I sure like my women on top," he joked.

She laughed a bit too loudly at his brash comments, and downed the rest of her cup. It was really sweet, fruity, and not at all alcoholic tasting.

"What's in this?" she asked.

"It's my buddy's special jungle juice. Lots of cheap vodka and tequila, but even more fruit juice. This shit will get you so wasted."

"I can already feel the hangover!" she joked, and he smiled.

xxxxxx

Klaus sat on the couch of his loft apartment. Ella on vinyl drifted through the space as he sat with a book-The Complete History of Jazz in New Orleans- in his hand, a glass of red in the other. His feet were crossed on the coffee table in front of him. He was the picture of relaxation, especially for a teacher on a Friday night. Elijah and Katherine were out for dinner, Kol was still in New York, and Finn and Sage were back in England. Rebekah texted saying she was headed to a party, and he assumed, by the way her text said "we," who her companion was.

Caroline.

Despite all his efforts to have a comforting and productive Friday night in, his thoughts kept drifting to the beautiful blonde who lived with Rebekah. During their lesson today he was honestly impressed at the maturity in her voice, and her developed tone. She really had a gorgeous voice, meant for the stage, and didn't say that often-or at all-about freshman. Her smile was intoxicating. She held herself beyond her years. In another situation he would have pegged her at 22 or 23, not 18. He shuddered at the thought she was the same age as his sister, and therefore worried his affection towards the girl was predatory. That was not his intention at all. He was simply enraptured with her. All of her. Her quick wit, her smile, her flustered blushes, the bounce of her hair, her body beneath those tight jeans... _Niklaus Mikaelson, get a hold of yourself. _

He was only 28, about to hit 29 in November. The age difference wasn't horrendous, and plenty of students have dated their professors. It's just frowned up. _Niklaus, don't go there. _These thoughts were toxic. He was her professor, and 10 years her senior. It's wrong, it's so wrong. But those plump, pink lips. Those long eyelashes, those _eyes_... This internal war had been going on in his head since their lesson this morning, and quite frankly, he was sick of it. He took a long drink from his wine glass, and set the book down. He went over to his record player and turned it up. Ella Fitzgerald's voice carried through the open floorplan of the apartment easily, accompanying Klaus as he refilled his glass. Before he could take another drink, however, his phone vibrated in his back pocket.

He frowned when he saw it was Rebekah, and glanced at the time. 11:08. Dread surged through him. He answered.

"Hello, Rebekah."

"Nik, I just wanted to let you know-" hiccup "that you're my faaaaavorite brother."

He sighed.

"No, really. You really are. You're also the coolest." hiccup "Juss thought you should know."

"Rebekah, as flattered as I am at your comments, I'm concerned that I am the person you would drunk-dial," he said with an exhausted smile.

"Oh believe me, you're my second choice seeing as my first" hiccup "is here with me." hiccup "his name is Stefan and he's just the best. I think you" hiccup "would really like him."

Through the phone, he could hear a male voice drunkenly yelling a greeting.

"Rebekah, darling. Are you safe? Would you like me to come get you?"

There was a scuffle on the other side of the phone, and suddenly the voice that had been tormenting him started up a drunken-but also very cute-speech.

"Well, well, well, if it isn't Klaus Mikaelson. Hi, this is Caroline," she said, her voice sweet as ever, but speaking more drawn out from inebriation. "I am at my first college party and you wanna know something mister? I. Am. DRUUUNK." He groaned inwardly, protective all of a sudden. "And you wanna know something else? I never get drunk. I don't really like alcohol, but here I am!" she said, suddenly louder, and with great conviction. "Here I am! Very drunk, and thinking about you." He froze. "And your vinyl. Yup. Your impressive vinyl. Why am I drunk?" she questioned, more rhetorical than literal. "Because of your dimples. And that I can't ever kiss you." His eyes flashed to where his keys sat on the counter. "Because you're my professor." He picked them up and started towards the door.

"Caroline, I am coming to get you and Rebekah right n-"

"Rebekah! Rebekah. I love Rebekah. I thought she was kind of standoff-ish when we first met, but she's really cool. _You_ are also very cool." He could almost hear her pointing at nothing, trying to emphasize her point. "Rebekah is with Stefan. They are appro-" she suddenly couldn't finish the word, then heard a small yelp "approximately 7 feet away from me, and they are dancing. We are all fine, so you don't have to worry, big brother of her."

"Caroline, where are you? Stay there, I'm on my way. I'm about to get into my car." He pressed the fob and climbed into the Land Rover. "Caroline?" He looked down at his phone and saw that the call had been ended. "Shit," he said angrily. He hoped to God she hadn't dropped Rebekah's phone, and he went to the GPS app he'd installed when Rebekah started college. He had prayed it would never come in handy, but there he was, headed to pick up his sister, a random young man, and Caroline. His heart clenched in worry. As he drove, he glanced carefully down to his phone, until he reached Greek Row on campus. Following the party noises and sights, he pulled up in front of the fraternity, his phone alerting him he had arrived. He ripped the keys out of the ignition after parking-barely legally-and jumped out of the car. His eyes immediately focused on a blonde, and thankfully, that blonde was his sister.

"Rebekah!" he called out. She turned towards him, and was flanked by who he assumed was this Stefan character.

"Niiiiiiik!" she sang. "My favorite brother."

Without much convincing, he managed to get the pair into the backseat of his car, before he set out on his quest for Caroline. It was apparent in the music, the litter, and the public nudity what stage this party was at, and his worry grew deeper.

xxxxxx

Caroline was dancing with a group of people when out of nowhere, she heard a _smack_ and a "what the fuck, man?!" from a guy who had been close to her for a bit. He had started grinding on her, but in her drunken haze, she hadn't cared, or really noticed, for that matter. She turned around to see what caused him to swear, and met the gaze of none other than Klaus.

Klaus. He was here. At this frat party.

She had almost been wishing to see him earlier, but had to keep reminding herself he wasn't a student, let alone a student who would be at a trashy party like this. He was her professor, she had to keep thinking. Suddenly, under his intense and angry gaze, she felt self-conscious. Her fuzzy brain cleared enough for her to realize his hand was gripping hers tightly, and tried not to love the feeling of it. He led her out of the fraternity, onto the lawn, and to his car.

Out of nowhere, he pinned her to the grill of the car, slightly leaning into the hood. "You drive me crazy, love," he said softly, firmly, but oddly enough, passionately. Regret filled her entire being, and, though she was drifting in and out of consciousness, she had two coherent thoughts. One, she would remember this moment, and two, she would regret it all in the morning. She closed the distance between them, lips stopping before touching him.

"No, Caroline," he whispered angrily, still holding her against the car, one hand pushing her hair out of her face. _Not like this_. Luckily he did.

With only enough time to push past him and hunch over, she puked.


	5. Chapter 5

**Hi, wow it's me. Jeez. I know I published this story literally over two years ago, and I know I didn't touch it for a looooooong ass time. Here is my official apology to all my readers and followers. I really truly am going to keep writing this story. Here's a little info on me, and why it took actual YEARS to keep going. **

**I started writing this right before I graduated high school, and was about to attend uni as a vocal performance major, like Caroline is in this story. Once the summer before college hit, I was slammed with so many responsibilities and real-life shit that I was like "ok bye" to a lot of fun stuff I was interested in, including writing this story. This is why I'd like to continue. While TVD is over, Klaroline IS NOT and never will be lol. It's the best, and we all know it. I know, at least personally, I want more Klaroline fics to pop on whenever I search, but it's been scarce as of late. **

**Anyways, I decided to make this student/teacher fic based around music, because that's what I know. I reference a lot of technical stuff, but it shouldn't infringe upon the understanding of the story if you don't know what the Overtone Series is, ya feel? I study a lot of jazz theory, and it is some of the most beautiful, smart, sexy, and difficult stuff ever written and played. Klaus and Caroline are two of the most beautiful, smart, sexy, and difficult characters ever written, and I love them for it. That being said, Klaus as the hot New Orleans lover that he is, I thought this was fitting. In this story I'm trying to create a romance, not a wham-bam-thank-you-ma'am type deal. While I'm all about that good smutty smut smut, and I promise it will come, I want this to be a bit more on the realistic side, so a waiting game is in order y'all. **

**In regards to the M-rating. Smut will happen, it will be in great detail, and there will be warnings. There will also be rape/non-con stuff in here too, and I will let you know beforehand. Caroline, while not stupid, is a bit naive. In this story, she still believes she is Second Choice, but will grow from this throughout the story. **

**That being said, here's a juicy bit for ya:**

_Ugh._

Caroline opened her mascara smeared eyes to her dorm room. She slowly rubbed the fogginess from her vision and sat up. Immediately, a splitting headache prevented her from doing so successfully. Taking note of the room, a few things simultaneously became obvious to her. One, it was Saturday, and she was safe in her own bed. Two, Stefan was fully dressed and passed out on the floor in between the girls' beds, and Rebekah respectively was passed out in hers, mouth agape and mascara similar to Caroline's. Three, Caroline was in pajamas, and had no idea how she had gotten into them.

The jungle juice, Damon. The dancing, the cute frat boys showering her with attention. Worry gnawed at her, and she chewed her lower lip. _Shit_, she thought to herself. _Nothing bad happened, did it?_ She investigated herself without too much movement, and was relieved to not find herself in pain or uncomfortable. _Jeez, Forbes. Take it easy next time._

Rebekah and Stefan dancing. Caroline and Damon dancing. Damon pouring her another drink. Beer pong. Time had been flying by. She remembered a loud conversation she'd had with another freshman girl in the bathroom. April, she remembered. Her name was April.

_"I think I wanna fuck my professor," said Caroline, positioning herself on the bathroom sink. She hadn't really been intending to start up a conversation with the statement-it was more a realization-but lo and behold, April was willing to talk it up. _

_"Don't we all?" the girl asked kindly. "There's something so hot about that whole forbidden thing," she giggled. _

_"Yeah, you're telling me. But get this, uh, what's your name?"_

_"April."_

_"April, I'm Caroline," she introduced noncommittally. "Anyways, get this. My roommate is his little sister."_

_April's eyes widened. "Yikes, that must be an interesting dynamic. Well, I'll tell you what Caroline. You fuck that professor, and you fuck him good," she teased._

_Caroline threw her head back and shook with a deep, boozy laugh. "Yeah, okay April. Because that's so legal."_

_April shook her head. "Not exactly. Depends on this school's handbook. You'd have to investigate that."_

_"Yeah right! I'm not serious about this."_

Caroline shook her head, as the memories came flooding back. April and her went separate ways, and she continued to weave through the party. There was a phone call, she recalled. Right, the three of them had made their way back to the deck, and while Stefan and Caroline were laughing and saying all kinds of hilarious drunk things, Rebekah had decided to call Klaus.

Oh _fuck_.

Caroline quickly racked her brain, as details became foggier and foggier, like a fading dream. Panic seared through her as she tried to remember if she'd said anything, done anything. Soon it became clear that, while she didn't remember much after that, Klaus had been the one to safely deposit them home in the dormitory. That explains why Stefan was here, albeit on the floor, because Klaus wouldn't have known where he lived. If she didn't remember even getting home, and Stefan didn't have the capacity to inform Klaus of his residence just doors down, the trio must have been absolutely wasted. She looked down at her pajamas and stilled. Did he remove her clothes? Shit, if only she could just remember!

There were no excuses for getting this drunk, except one. It was the first weekend of the semester, and her first college party. She hadn't expected herself to be sloshed beyond repair, but knew drinking was in order. Just how low was her tolerance? It was as if her slate had been wiped clean after high school, and alcohol magically became ten times stronger in college.

"Ugh," she croaked, fumbling around for her purse. She realized her keys were in a different pocket, somewhere she never put them, and this only helped confirm her fears that Klaus had brought them home, dealt with her keys, and changed her out of her clothes. She put on sunglasses and reached for her phone, that was plugged in and fully charged on the bedside table.

Immediately she noticed an influx of university emails, a missed call from Bonnie, a couple social media notifications, and finally, at the bottom of the screen, time stamped for 12:19am, a text from an unknown number. She ignored the rest of her notifications and swiped frantically at the text.

12:19am Caroline, this is Klaus. I just wanted to inform you that your dirty clothes are in your hamper, and your keys are in the right compartment of your purse. If you ever need help like you did last night, please do not hesitate to call me, and I will pick you and my sister up immediately. Now you have my number.

_FUCK_.

xxxxxx

Klaus stood under the cold flow of the shower, hand against the tiles, other hand firmly wrapped around his hard length. Every morning this week, this is how he found himself. Trying to fight off his inevitable morning wood after dreams of a golden-haired goddess enraptured him in his sleep, he'd find himself in the shower, the water cold on purpose. He grunted, a mixture of pleasure and frustration, as he tried to shake the image of her. But it was all wrong now. This week, he'd told himself it was alright to jack off to the thought of her. She was gorgeous, and a new student. The feelings would end after the lesson, when he got to know her a bit more and thought of her as less of a tempting enigma and more of a real person. He wasn't prepared for the opposite reaction to take effect. He was _more_ intrigued now.

After the party, after hearing her say that she'd like to kiss him-ugh, he wanted to kiss her, have his way with her-he felt like a disgusting pervert. He had practically rescued his sister, the boy, and Caroline from the sweaty, angsty frat party. Who knows what would have happened had he not picked them up? Anger coursed through him, mixing with his arousal, and he came, hot and spurting against the tile wall. He quickly cleaned up, rinsed off, and left the shower feeling grumpy and unsatisfied. Caroline felt a draw to him as well, this much was obvious.

This was so wrong, he told himself. Not only was she his student, but god, she was his sister's roommate. He shook his head and got dressed. She was just 18, _just 18!_ And yet she had caused him to pleasure himself daily. For fucks sake, he'd grown hard in their lesson yesterday seeing her biting her lip contemplatively.

After she'd vomited a colorful array of alcohol, he'd tied her hair back with a pony tail he found on her wrist and packed her in the front seat of the Land Rover. She was moaning softly, eyes closed for most of the drive, while Stefan and Rebekah were still coherent and laughing in the back seat. His hands clutched the steering wheel. At a red light, he glanced over to the sleeping Caroline, and something squeezed his heart. He felt a ridiculous need to protect her, like he did with his little sister. Careful to not make her uncomfortable, he sat her down and stripped her of her jeans and shirt and quickly replaced them with pajamas he found neatly folded on the bed. He tossed her clothes into a hamper and undid the covers. She was dead on her feet. Stefan and Rebekah had quickly found themselves asleep, and Klaus made sure Stefan was on the floor. Poor kid couldn't even tell him where he lived. Klaus grumbled at the fact a boy was sleeping in here with two young women he felt so protective of, but realized if Stefan was up to anything scandalous, he would have done it already. Upon turning around to put Caroline into bed, he found she'd already fallen over.

He exhaled, gently tucking her long legs up and under her comforter. He settled the blankets around her shoulders, and brushed her hair out of her face. She came to a bit.

"Klaus?" she whispered, surprised to see him.

"It's alright, love. You are very drunk, Caroline."

She seemed to nod in the dark. He felt her fingers capture the hand still next to her face. "You're wonderful," she murmured sleepily. He stilled, removed his hand from hers, and left in a hurry. God, he prayed she wouldn't remember this. Their relationship was already interesting enough as is. He didn't need her seeing the strange affection he held for her.

Once in the safety of his car, he opened all the windows and let the breeze clear his highly inappropriate, highly possessive thoughts. The thought of another man touching her made his skin crawl, and yet, the thought of him touching her made him feel like a creepy pervert.

Yet there was nothing he wanted more. And the next morning, after his less than satisfying shower, he did everything he could to get his mind off her.

xxxxxx

The next two weeks passed without much consequence. After transferring from Klaus' theory class to someone named Alaric Saltzman's theory, she would only see him for their lessons, and other advising appointments. That next Friday morning, she found herself in the same nervous position as she waited by his door until exactly 10am. She liked being early, giving herself the chance to be exactly punctual. The lesson flew by, thirty minutes not nearly enough time to get anything done, but it was the standard lesson time allotment for freshman. Klaus seemed unfazed and the two got into a good rhythm of warm-ups and repertoire.

She forced herself to forget about the fun party, and the weird shitty end of it and yet oddly endearing way he took care of her. She didn't remember much from the night after a certain point, and tried not to dwell on it. She saw him a couple of times making trips from the copier on the first floor and smiled at him. It seemed that the whole ordeal had mended itself, and she realized that staying awkward and embarrassed would not help her education. University Chorus met every day, and she quickly found herself loving it. She'd have to thank Klaus for getting her in. Dr. Mikaelson was in New York City, collaborating with another young and brilliant conductor for another couple of weeks, so the choir was run by section leaders for the time being, as they started to rehearse their parts. Klaus had placed her as a Second Soprano in Dr. Mikaelson's stead, because she had a good ear and could harmonize while staying in tune.

She had been texting Damon quite a bit. She didn't know if she actually liked him, but he was a sexy distraction. Whenever the intrusive thoughts about another sexy-and entirely unavailable-man came to mind, she'd text Damon, and they'd chat for a bit. Eventually he'd called her up to ask her out, and they planned for a date Friday evening.

When Stefan heard, he got kind of tense. "Care, it's not that I don't trust him, but..." Rebekah perked up at the topic of Stefan's older brother, who she had expressed distaste for after the party. "I just don't like how he treats girls," he admitted.

Caroline looked up from her laptop. Rebekah and Stefan had absently watching a movie when Damon called, and had both listened in when he'd asked her out. "What do you mean?"

Stefan sighed. "He's only ever had one real girlfriend, and he loved her quite a bit. When they broke up, he turned to alcohol and sort of lost himself. He may seem carefree and fun, but he drops girls as quickly as he finds them."

Rebekah looked to Caroline expectantly. She rolled her eyes. "Look, I appreciate the concern, but it's just a date. I like him, and I think he's cute." The statement sounded weird even to her, and guessed the two could see the insincerity on her face. "Not all of us can meet someone the first day and be smitten," she added pointedly with a smile. Stefan smiled and Rebekah scoffed with mock defiance. "Whatever, no pressure guys. It's none of my business," she said, holding up her hands. But she was just as guilty as what she'd accused them of, because she _had_ met someone that first day. And she was... kinda smitten.

Despite her constant efforts to push Klaus from her mind, her thoughts always drifted into an inappropriate zone. And it was starting to annoy her. She needed this date with Damon, someone her own age-yeah, just how old was Klaus?-to get her rocks off. A roll in the sack with someone like Damon is just what she needed. Yeah, she convinced herself. Even if it didn't go well, it wasn't like it would ruin her relationship with Stefan. He made it clear that while they loved each other, it was at a distance. They were complete opposites. It's why Stefan didn't follow him into the brotherhood; it wasn't really his thing.

xxxxxx

It was morning, early, when Klaus was awakened by loud-_loud_-knocking on his front door. He looked at his phone. 4:45, _really? Who the bloody hell is that? _He tumbled out of bed, in nothing but his boxer-briefs, as the knocking grew more incessant. "I'm coming," he called grumpily. He wiped a hand over his eyes and scruffy stubble. Without a care towards his current state of undress, he opened the door.

"Klaus," Caroline breathed.

He looked at her warily, her eyes full of fear and indecision and something else he couldn't place. He quickly took her in. Her golden curls were windswept, falling over her shoulders provocatively, as if she had ran here. She was wearing a small blue dress, with a black jacket.

"Hello, love," he said smiling, confusedly. "Is there something I can help you with?" he questioned, disregarding the odd time.

"Yes," she replied with absolutely no waver in her voice. She stood stoic, unmoving, with a fierce glint of passion in her eyes. Or fear. Her eyes raked over him hungrily, taking in his nearly naked form. They looked positively wild.

A beat passed, and finally, Caroline closed the distance between them. Her lips pressed to his gently, testing. _God, they are so soft, so warm_, Klaus thought. She released momentarily, and with an excited breath, she kissed him again, with more urgency. He was stunned. She frantically felt him, running her hands over his strong arms, up the sides of his neck, until they finally tangled behind his head. After processing for just a moment, he began to reciprocate. Nothing held him back. Regret left him immediately as her fingers curled into his hair. He groaned into her mouth, causing her to gasp, and allowing his tongue access to her mouth. His hand wound its way into her hair, holding her solidly to him, while his other pressed at the small of her back. Their tongues tangled in a short battle, and ultimately his won. She moaned quietly, her eyes closing.

His long fingers slid down across her ass, and felt their way underneath her dress, grasping at the back of her thigh. He gracefully lifted her, fingers gripping dangerously close to her core. He kicked the door closed and growled, walking them to the wall. With the wall at her back and her legs wrapping themselves like a vice around his waist, he had use of his hands again. One stayed firmly wrapped around her back, clutching her with a force that left her breathless, and the other gently caressed her cheek. He broke the kiss, only continue his assault of her senses by pressing soft, tingling kisses to her jaw and down her neck. She sighed and ground her hips into his hard length, poking her seductively through nothing but his briefs. The hand at her cheek dropped to her bottom, and he growled again, deeper this time, as he realized there was nothing there. "Love... are you not wearing panties?"

She looked at him with such intensity, balanced with a nervous giggle. "Nope," she said quietly.

"Fuck, darling. You have no idea what you do to me," he said through clenched teeth. She ground her hips against him again, and this time he felt her bare core sliding wetness onto the head of his erection, sticking through now. It was so intimate, Klaus let in a sharp, shaky breath.

"Mmm," she moaned, biting her bottom lip. She stared into his hungry eyes. "Fuck me, Klaus. Fuck me now."

_RING RING RING._

"Klaus," she moaned, settling herself deeper onto his cock through the fabric. "Make love to me..."

_RING RING RING._

_RING RING RING. _

Klaus sat straight up in bed, daylight pouring through the curtains. Scrambling to turn off his alarm, he groaned and punched the pillow next to him, then threw his legs over the edge of the bed. His dream had left him with a souvenir, one that would take a shower and some leftover images of Caroline to get rid of. "Fucking fourth night this week," he grumbled, turning the faucet on.


End file.
